Welt-pressing mechanism.



E. E. FOSTER.

WELT PRESSING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, I912.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

' l/WT/VESSES E. E. FOSTER.

WELT PRESSING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. 1912.

1,1 9&482. PatentedSep t. 19,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTAs EDWARD E. FOSTER, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PA'IERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WELT-PRESSING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed January 18, 1912. Serial No. 671,795.

nection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

Thisinvention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and is herein shown and described as embodied in new and improved mechanism for supporting and pressing a welt or other marginally projecting portion of a shoe against th margin of the sole which extends beyond the last in opposition to the pressure applied to the outer face of the sole in the sole laying operation. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied in other machines where a similar structure or function is desired. In the present'instance, an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with a sole laying' machine of the type disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,146,341, granted July 13, 1915, on appli cation of Benjamin F. Mayo, in which machine the pressure is applied progressively to a sole and is relieved in a similar manner. For a full description of any features of the sole laying machine herein shown but not fully described reference may be had to the said patent.

In the process of making welt shoes after the welt is attached and the inseam trimmed, a filling of cork and cement is placed upon the insole to bring it up level with the inseam. Cement is then applied to the filling and to the welt and also to the inner face of the outsole. The outsole is positioned upon the shoe and the shoe placed in the sole laying machine which supports the shoe at the heel and toe portions and forces a pad against the outer face of the sole to press it firmly in contact with the shoe and hold it in position until the cement has set. It is found in practice, however, that there is often imperfect adhesion of the welt tothe margin of the outsole especially when the welt is of light stock or is insufficiently beaten, and that the welt hastherefore a tendency to curl or twist away from the sole. This tendency is particularly noticeable at those portions of the periphery of the forepart of the shoe having the greatest outward curvature, that is, at the toe and just to the rear of the ball portion where the welt has its outer edge placed under greatest tension when it is attached to the shoe. This lack of adhesion between the welt and the outsole -is due also to a partial return of the outsole to its original fiat condition after the removal of the sole laying pressure thereupon which bends it to the curvature of the last bottom while it is in the laying machine. By this want of adhesion between the welt and the margin of the outsole and their con sequent separation, the cement between them is exposed to the air and its hardening accelerated and, as often some time elapses between the operation of sole laying and that of sewing on the outsole, it may happen that the cement has become so hard as to interfere seriously in efiecting close contact and adhesion of the welt with the margin of the outsole in the outsole stitching operation.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide new and improved mechanism for overcoming the difficulties above enumerated.

One of the features of the present invention consists in the combination of a band and means which willcause the band to hug closely the contour of the fo-repart of the shoe, irrespectively of ordinary variations in size or shape, and will afford the requisite pressure upon the welt to force it in contact with the outsole and securely hold it in that position so that it will adhere to the sole during the sole laying operation.

Another important feature of the invention consists in means for distributing the pressure upon the welt so that the pressure upon portions of the welt located upon opposite sides of the shoe and similarly located longitudinally of the shoe will be substantially uniform. In the illustrated embodiment of this feature of the invention the distribution of the pressure upon the welt longitudinally of the shoe will be in proportion to the tendency of the welt to curl away from the sole. To accomplish this the welt pressing member is shown as composed of a plurality of sections, and the sections are mounted approximately at their middle portions upon equalizing levers which are in'turn pivoted to actuating arms upon axes lying parallel with the plane of the shoe bottom. One of the sections embraces the toe, but may be considered as comprising two sections which have a common bearing point at the toe, each of these sections being supported about midway of its length upon the outer. end of an equalizing lever. As these sections of the toe encircling portion of the band have a common bearing point at the end of the toe, the flattening pressure at this portion of the welt is increased over that at the sides of the toe. This effect is highly desirable as the tendency of the welt to curl away from the outsole is greatest at the toe portion, as has been explained. By properly arranging the position of the pivots of the sections of the toe band relatively to their length and the position of the pivots of the equalizing levers upon their actuating arms, the pressure of the welt presser may be so distributed about the periphery of the forepart of the shoe as to counteract the tendency of the welt to separate from the sole by applying pressure in direct proportion to that tendency. Means is provided permitting only such a range of movement of the equalizing levers and of the band sections as will be useful in practice so that they will 'not become accidentally displaced from operative position and also means is provided for holding the mid-portion of-the band highest so that it will contact first with the mid-portion of the forepart of the sole and welt flattening pressure will be offered progressively both forwardly toward the toe and rearwardly toward the ballof the shoe.

Another important feature of the present invention consists in the combination with pressing means which acts upwardly against the welt in opposition to the downward pressure of the sole laying pad or pads, of means which act upon the welt pressing means to cause it to apply yielding pressure inwardly against the shoe about the periphcry of the forepart thereof.

A further feature of the invention consists in novel means for applying pressure to the sole engaging means'inwardly of the shoe. As herein shown mechanism is provided which distributes the lateral or inward pressure of the welt engaging means throughout the part of the shoe embraced thereby and furthermore the lateral pressure is applied through suitable means to render it yielding and resilient, and, when the parts are suitably proportioned, substantially uniform.

A further feature of the invention consists in a shoe embracing member which isso constructed that longitudinal pressure of the shoe forwardly against the toe portion of the member will apply lateral pressure inwardly against the side portions of the shoe. Furthermore after this clamping action of the shoe embracing member has taken place about the periphery of the forepart of the shoe the clamping means may, as a further feature of the invention, be moved bodily forwardly or outwardly so that shoes of varying sizes applied to the heel support 2 may be properly sustained without changing the adjustment of the welt pressing means.

It is also a feature of the invention that, as the bodily movement of the clamping means continues, further and additional clamping pressure is applied to the clampmg means.

A further important feature of the invention consists in welt engaging and pressing means which are so mounted as to be movable about an axis substantially perpendic ular to the plane of the shoe bottom and this axis is preferably located approximately at the center of curvature of the toe. This movement of the welt presser enables it to readily accommodate itself to crooked lasts, or, if desired, to right and left shoes.

Theseand other features of the invention, including new and important details of construction and combinations of parts, a will be hereinafter more particularly described and will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a sole laying machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the welt supporting mechanism shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the welt supporting mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the shoe being removed.

As shown in Fig. 1, the last A carrying the shoe, the. sole of which is to be laid, is supported in the usual manner at the rear of the heel and at the front or toe by heel and toe supports 2 and 4 respectively of the jack carried on the frame of the machine. Provision is made by means not shown, but fully disclosed in the patent above referred to, for adjusting the jack vertically to accommodate different shapes and sizes of lasts, this movement being permitted by slots 6 in the plates 8 in which pins 10 upon the jack are arranged to slide. The sole laying pads of the machine of the application above referred to are shown at 23. The heel and toe posts are. arranged for adjustive movement simultaneously toward and from each other by means of a right and left hand screw 12 and a hand wheel 13. Upon the toe post 4 is a T-guide 20 upon which is mounted to slide a bracket 22 which is resiliently supported by a spring 24 which engages at its upper end a plate 25 secured to the bracket 22 and at its lower end rests upon a screw 26,

threaded through a lug 28 upon the guide 20, by which the tension of the spring may be adjusted.

Upon the upper face of the bracket 22 is provided a T-guide 30 upon which is mounted a block 32 for sliding movement longitudinally of the shoe. The block is maintained normally in its inward or rearward position by means to be described.

Upon the upper face of the block 32 is a segmental T-guide 40 engaging a segmental T-slot in a block 42 to which are pivoted the rearwardly and upwardly extending arms 44. Upon the rear extremities of the arms are pivoted between their ends the equalizing levers 46 upon which the welt presser band is supported. The arms have forward extensions 43 beyond their pivots which are connected by a spring 34. Pivoted to the arms 44 between their ends at 49 are the links 50, Fig. 2, which are pivoted to each other at a point 51 under the shoe and ap proximately at the center of curvature of the segmental T-guide 40. At this point the links are also pivoted to a rod 52, Fig. 2, which extends loosely through a sleeve 53 on an upright 54 upon the bracket 22 and is provided at its outer end-with an adjusting thumb nut 56. Upon the rod 52 between the sleeve 53 and the pivot of the links is a spring 58. The axis 51 of the pivot of the links 50 is normally fixed but obviously its position may be changed by forcing the rod 52 forwardly against the tension of the spring 58. The initial position of the pivot may be varied also by adjustinng the thumb nut 56.

The welt presser band is composed of three parts. One part 60 extends around the extreme toe portion of the shoe and is supported on opposite sides-of the shoe upon the forward ends of the equalizing levers 46. This portion of the band may, however, be considered as composed of two parts, one upon each side of the shoe, with a common bearing point at the toe end of the last, and each part having a pivoted support near its middle portion. The other portions of the band are located upon the opposite. sides of the shoe along the ball portion and are supported upon the inner ends of the equalizing levers 46. The portions of the Welt presser band taken together furnish a practically continuous support for the welt around the forepart of the shoe.

From the construction described it will be clear that the spring 34 tends to holdthe. band 60, 80, 81 in open position to receive the shoe and that forward or outward pressure upon the inside of the toe portion of the band will move the band and its supporting arms 44 bodily, thereby moving the outer pivots 49 of the links 50 outwardly relatively to their common pivot 51 with the effect of shortening the distance between the pivots 49 of the links and hence causing the arms 44 and the equalizing levers 46 to press the band inwardly against the shoe.

It will be clear also that when the band has embraced the shoe so that no further movement of the side portions of the band inwardly can take place the band and its closing mechanism, including the pivot 51 and the block 32, will move bodily with the shoe against the tension of the. spring 58. The effect of this movement is to increase the pressure upon the sides of the band as well as upon the end of the toe, for during this movement the rod 52 slides through the sleeve 53 and the spring 58 is compressed so that the pressure upon the joint 51 is increased. This joint is now free to move rearwardly or inwardly toward the shoe as the nut 56, by movement of the rod 52 endwise, has been moved away from the stationary member 54, and tending to so move under pressure of the spring 58 has the same effect as tendency of the outer pivots 49 of the links 50 to move forwardly or outwardly away from the shoe, that is, to increase the band pressure laterally of the shoe. The thumb nut 56 provides means for adjusting the initial position or amount of opening of the band, so that'shoes of different sizes may be readily inserted therein. The segmental T-guide 40 enables the whole band and its supporting mechanism to be swung about an axis approximately at the center of curvature of the end of the toe to accommodate it to crooked lasts or to right and left lasts, if desired.

Referring more particularly to the mounting of the welt presser band, the equalizing levers 46 are mounted for universal movement upon the arms 44, the axes of the pivots 7O bein at right angles to the axes of the pivots 2'. For limiting the movement about the axes 70, a segmental plate 76, Fig. 1, is fixed to move with the lever 46 and carries spaced pins 7 8 arranged to contact with the arm 44 and to permit only a limited movement of the levers 46. To the rear ends of the levers 46 are pivoted respectively the sections 80, 81 of the band and, like the lever 46, these band sections have limited universal movement about the axes 82, 84, their movement about the axes 84 being limited by the amount of clearance between the pivot blocks 83 and faces 86 of the levers 46. The ends of the toe portion 60 of the band are similarly pivoted to the outer or forward ends of the equalizing levers 46. The longitudinal central portion of theband as a whole, that is the parts near the ends of the portion 60 and the adjacent ends of the sections 80, 81, are held normally elevated by a spring 90, Fig. 1, the ends of which are attached to pins 61 and 62 which are mounted respectively on the portions 60 and 80 of the band below their pivotal connection with the equalizing lever 46, it being understood that a similar spring 90 may be attached on the opposite side of the shoe between the portions 60 and 81 of the band. By means of these springs the central portion of the band is normally held bowed upwardly so that it engages the welt first at points forward of the ball and acts progressively from this point toward the toe and toward the heel and adapts itself to the spring of any last.

The band sections are preferably made of resilient sheet metal covered with leather,

. to prevent injury to the shoe upper. They may be, however, and the section 81 prefer ably is, made of brass or similar metal, the edges being suitably rounded to prevent injury to the stock. The band sections may also be so formed as to engage closely in the welt crease, being provided for this purpose with a thin inturned edge 85.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a sole laying machine, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, flexible welt engaging means extending about the periphery of the shoe, and means for pressing the welt engaging means yieldingly against theshoe in a lateral direction.

2. In a sole laying machine, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, welt enga ing means extending about the forepart o the shoe, and resilient means for forcing in said Welt engaging means against the periphery of the forepart of the shoe in the welt crease.

3. In a sole laying machine the combination of means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, and welt engaging means extending about the forepart of the shoe and constructed and arranged automatically to adapt itself to the longitudinal inclination of the forepart of the sole to sustain the welt against the periphery of said forepart of the shoe sole with substantially uniformly effective welt laying pressure.

4. In a sole laying machine, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, welt engaging means I extending about the forepart of the shoe,

and means for yieldingly actuating said welt engaging means inwardly about the periphery of the shoe.

5. In a sole laying machine, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, welt engaging means extending about the forepart of the shoe, and means tending to close the lateral portions of the welt engaging means by pressure longitudinally of the shoe against the toe portion.

'6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, welt engaging means extending about the forepart of the shoe, and means actuated by bodily movement of the welt engaging means to increase the lateral pressure of said welt engaging means.

7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying pressure to the shoe sole, welt engaging means, a support for said welt engaging means, and equalizing means between said welt engaging means and its support for distributing the pressure transmitted from said support to the welt.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for supporting a shoe, means for applying sole laying pressure to the shoe sole, welt engaging means comprising a plurality of sections, said sections being mounted for movement upon axes extending transversely across the shoe and substantially parallel to the plane of the sole, and means for transmitting pressure to said welt engaging means in opposition to the sole laying pressure.

9. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a member for embracing the forepart of a shoe, said member being mounted for bodily movement longitudinally of the shoe and for swinging movement about an axis located substantially at the center of curvature of the toe, and means for transmitting pressure to the portions of the embracing member engaging the sides of the forepart when said member is moved bodily.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a band arranged to embrace the fore part of a shoe and to bear upon the outstanding sole attaching flange, said band being mounted for vertical bodily movement to press against the welt, and means for causing portions of the said band to press laterally against the shoe to distribute the lateral pressure between said portions.

11. In a machine of the class described,

.the combination of a welt support, two

slides at right angles to each other upon one of which the support is mounted, means for resiliently holding the slides in normal position, and means whereby upon movement of one of the slides the welt support is caused to hug the shoe and whereby upon movement of the other slide pressure is applied to the welt to hold it in engagement with the outsole.

12. A sole laying machine having, in combination, a welt pressing band, means for supporting the same, comprising a slide mounted for movement vertically upon the toe post of the jack, a. slide mounted on said slide for movement longitudinally of the shoe, resilient means for forcing said slides toward the shoe, and arms on said second slide for sustaining the Welt pressing band.

13. A sole laying machine having, in combination, a forepart engaging member, arms for supporting said member, a block to which said arms are pivoted, resilient means for holding the embracing member in open position, and means actuated by outward movement of the said block to close the said member upon the shoe.

14. A sole laying machine having, in combination, a welt pressing band, arms for supporting the band, a block mounted for movement longitudinally of the shoe to which said arms are pivoted, connections between said arms and a relatively stationary pivot, and resilient means for holding the band carrying ends of the arms separated, the construction being such that when the block is moved the end portions of the band will be actuated laterally of the shoe against said resilient means.

' 15. machine of the class described having, in combination, means for applying pressure to the welt to hold the same in engagement with the sole of the shoe, and means acting automatically for distributing the pressure upon the welt so that the pressure upon portions of the welt upon opposite sides of the shoe and similarly located longitudinally of the shoe will be substantially the same.

16. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for applying pressure to the welt to hold the same in engagement with the outsole, and means for automatically distributing the pressure upon the welt longitudinally of the toe portion of the shoe in proportion to the tendency of the welt to curl away from the sole.

17. In a machine of the class described the combination with a sole pressing member, of supporting arms, equalizing levers pivoted to said arms upon axes parallel to the shoe bottom, and welt presser sections mounted approximately at their middle portions upon said equalizing levers .and adapted to engage the welt to apply pressure thereupon in opposition tosaid sole pressing member.

18. In a machine of the class described, a sole presser, a Welt presser comprising a toe portion extending from one side of the toe around the end of the toe to the other side, said toe portion being supported at a point substantially midway between the ends of the toe portion and the point of the toe, and means for applying pressure to said support whereby the welt flattening pressure of the toe portion is greater at the end of the toe than at either side of the toe.

19. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a sole presser and a sectional welt presser, means for applying pressure to the welt presser, and means for automatically distributing the pressure about the periphery ofthe toe of the shoe so as to counteract the tendency of the welt to separate from the sole in direct proportion to that tendency.

20. In a machine of the class described, a sectional welt flattening member, equalizing levers for supporting said sections, and means for preventing excessive movement of the levers.

21. In a machine of the class described, a welt presser band comprising ball sections and a continuous toe section, means for supporting said sections at approximately their middle portions longitudinally of the shoe upon axes extending transversely of the shoe and substantially parallel to the plane of the sole, and yielding means for normally holding the portions of the band at the adjacent ends of the sections highest so that it will contact first opposite the mid portion of the forepart of the sole and welt flattening pressure will be applied by it progressively both forwardly toward the toe and rearwardly toward the shank of the shoe.

22. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a band embracing the forepart of the shoe, means for causingthe band to closely hug the contour of the forepart of the shoe irrespectively of ordinary variations in size or shape, and means for effecting pressure of the band against the Welt to force it into contact with the outsole and hold it in that position so that it will adhere to the sole. i

23. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for applying pressure to the outsole, of means for pressing upwardly against the welt in opposition to the downward pressure of the sole pressing means, .and means arranged to apply pressure laterally against the shoe about the periphery of the forepart thereof.

24. A machine of the class described having, in combination, sole pressing means, resilient welt supporting means, .and distributing means for applying automatically distributed pressure inwardly of the shoe throughout the extent of said well: supporting means.

25. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for embracing the fo-repart of a. shoe, and means whereby pressure forwardly upon the toe portion of said embracing means will act inwardly upon the ball portions of said means to force the same laterally against the opposite sides of the ball portion of the shoe with substantially equal pressure.

26. In a machine of the class described, means for embracing the fo-repart of a shoe and means whereby pressure forwardly upon the middle portion of said means tends to apply clamping pressure to thesides of the forepart of the shoe, the said and located approximately at the center of curvature of they toe whereby the welt presser may move about said axis to accom- 15 modate itself to crooked lasts or to right and left shoes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD E. FOSTER. Witnesses RUTH E. WVQRD, CHESTER E. Rooms.- 

